Montclair School Board Referendum: What Comes Next?

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Barring a strange twist of fate, it’s likely that Montclair voters passed a history-making school referendum in the general election. And with the unofficial ballot count at more than two-to-one in favor of electing their local school board, there is a big question on the minds of many voters … what comes next?

Montclair is one of the few remaining New Jersey municipalities where mayors appoint members of the board of education. But this will change if the Nov. 2 ballot question gets the final greenlight.

• See related article: Montclair School Proposal Passes; See Unofficial Election Results

Vote Montclair, the local advocacy group that helped to spearhead the push for the referendum, released a statement about the next steps for the effort earlier this week.

“As you probably heard, our campaign for an elected Board of Education succeeded, and on a level that surpassed our most optimistic wishes,” the group wrote. “If ever there was such a thing as a mandate from the voters, you provided it.”

Vote Montclair continued:

“With the success in Tuesday’s election of one of our two stated government reform efforts — letting Montclair’s voters rather than its mayors choose who sits on the local Board of Education — a number of our supporters and others have asked what’s next. As for the BOE, a special election will be held for the two new members needed to bring it to the nine members required for an elected board. This election would likely take place in either January or March of 2022, after which three seats will be contested in November and each November thereafter. (more on this here.)”

Vote Montclair adds on its website:

“It should also be remembered that this isn’t an ending but a beginning. An elected board will mean regular elections for this crucial body, starting with a special election for two seats early in 2022, and eventually annual contests for three seats every November, as well as occasional referenda on budget issues. On some of these future election days those who felt like they lost today are likely to feel like they won, and vice-versa. That’s how democracy is supposed to work. The focus now should return to how to drive educational outcomes that benefit our children, and to ensure that the new Type II board will benefit from smart, independent-minded, focused and driven members of our community.”

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